Expanding-folding apparatus for storage bag

ABSTRACT

An expanding-folding apparatus for storage bag includes a frame structure and a bag that the frame structure further includes a first and a second frames in H shape and two respective free ends of both the first and second frames are movably connected so as to fold them toward each other into an overlapping state. The bag, made of flexible material, has an opening at upper end with a circumference of the opening connected to a bottom of the first and second frames. Thereby expanding the frame structure can expand the bag into a storage space and folding the frame structure can close the bag at the same time. The storage bag can be used as a back-bag.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to a storage bag for accommodating articles and particularly an expanding-folding apparatus for storage bag to be easily expanded or folded with multiple applications.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Currently the foldable storage boxes of the prior art already exist in many variety based on the principle of volume reduction for convenient storage. For instance, some existing designs use flexible textile to constitute a box in a three-dimensional rectangle shape with an upper horizontal bar positioned at each of four sides of an upper surface, a bottom horizontal bar positioned at each of four sides of a bottom surface and a vertical bar positioned at each of four vertical sides. A proper clearance is kept between the ends of the adjacent upper horizontal bars and the bottom horizontal bars as well as the ends of the vertical bars and the ends of both upper and bottom horizontal bars. Each vertical surface of the box is further provided with multiple folding lines in diagonal direction across each other. Whereby the prescribed apparatus enables the box made of flexible textile to constitute a storage space to accommodate articles with the vertical bars and both upper and bottom horizontal bars as well as to be twisted for folding into a flat object.

Some revised boxes are provided with a cover and its each corner is supported by a vertical truss provided at each corner of a revised box.

However the storage boxes of the prior art is not convenient in operation because of relatively large number in element quantity and more complexity in structure. Further the problem of missing an element can happen easily as well as the relatively higher cost of manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide a storage bag that can be freely expanded or folded with simplicity in structure and convenience in operation so as to reduce the manufacture cost and create the maximum storage space and the storage bag can be easily carried.

The expanding-folding storage bag of the present invention is characterized in having a frame structure and a bag that the bag is connected to a bottom of the frame structure and the frame structure can be folded so as to close the bag at the same time. Thereby the storage bag can be both used as a carrying bag by itself and expanded into a storage space for accommodating articles at the same time when the frame structure is expanded.

Therefore the technical means of the present invention includes a frame structure and a bag that the frame structure further includes a first frame and a second frame both in H shape, two free ends of the first frame being movably connected to two correspondent free ends of the second frame so as to fold both the first frame and second frame toward each other into a overlapping state. The bag is made of flexible material and has an opening positioned at upper end with a circumference of the opening connected to a bottom of the first and second frames.

A technical means of the expanding-folding frame structure of the present invention can be embodied by bending a hallow tube of rectangle cross-section into the first and the second frames and the two free ends of the first frame are pivotally connected with each end of two linkages whose two other ends are pivotally connected with the two correspondent free ends of the second frame. Thereby the first frame and the second frame can be folded toward each other into an overlapping state.

The other technical means of the expanding-folding frame structure of the present invention can be embodied by bending a hallow tube of circular cross-section into the first and second frames and a hinge is provided between each of the two free ends of the first frame and correspondent each of the two free ends of the second frame. Thereby the first frame and the second frame can be folded toward each other into an overlapping state.

One other technical means of the expanding-folding frame structure of the present invention can be embodied by bending a solid tube into the first and second frames and the two free ends of the first frame are pivotally connected to the two correspondent free ends of the second frame. Thereby the first frame and the second frame can be folded toward each other into an overlapping state.

Based on a value-added consideration to facilitate the operation, the present invention can be provided with a carrying belt at the diagonal locations at each of the first and the second frames. Thereby it only needs to lift up the carrying belt in order to fold the first and the second frames toward each other into an overlapping state and close the bag from the expanded state at the same time. The carrying belt can provide an user to carry the storage bag at folded state as a back-bag.

The first and second frames of the present invention can be manufactured with either bamboo, wood, metal or other suitable material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view illustrating the frame structure of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a local enlargement of area A on the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating the frame structure of FIG. 1 at folded state of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating the storage bag as the assembly of the frame structure of the first embodiment and a bag of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating the storage bag of FIG. 3 at folded state of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional view illustrating the frame structure of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating the frame structure of FIG. 5 at folded state of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating the storage bag as the assembly of the frame structure of the second embodiment and a bag of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating the storage bag of FIG. 7 at folded state of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating the storage bag as the assembly of the frame structure of the third embodiment and a bag of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating the storage bag of FIG. 9 at folded state of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating the embodiment of a carry belt provided to the diagonal location at two sides of the frame structure of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Firstly as shown in FIG. 3, the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a frame structure 1 and a bag 2 that the bag 2 is made of flexible material (such as textile or fiber-cloth) and has an opening positioned at upper end with a circumference of the opening to be connected to a bottom of the frame structure 1 so as to constitute a storage bag.

There are multiple means to embody the frame structure 1 for connecting with the bag 2 of the present invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 1A includes a first frame 11 and a second frame 12 that are manufactured with hallow tube of rectangle cross-section by bending into Π shape. A linkage 13 is provided between each of two correspondent free ends of the frame 11 and frame 12 in order to constitute a movable connection with the pivots 14 that the linkage 13 is a bar at proper length, which is approximate the height of the first frame 11 and the second frame 12 together, so as to fold the first frame 11 and the second frame 12 toward each other into an overlapping state (as shown in FIG. 2) after being movably connected with the first frame 11 and the second frame 12.

After the frame structure 1 of FIG. 1 connected with the bag 2, the opening of the bag 2 is open at the same time when the first frame 11 and the second frame 12 are expanded such that an user can put in or take out an article through the opening of the bag 2 (as shown in FIG. 3). After usage, the user only needs to fold the first frame 11 and the second frame 12 of the frame structure 1 toward each other in order to close the opening of the bag 2 at the same time (as shown in FIG. 4).

FIG. 5 depicts the second preferred embodiment of the present invention that the frame structure 1A includes a first frame 11A and a second frame 12A that are manufactured with hallow tube of circular cross-section by bending into Π shape. A hinge 15 is provided between each of two correspondent free ends of the first frame 11A and the second frame 12A (as shown in FIG. 6). The hinge 15 includes two end-plates and a two-bar device of pivotally connection provided between the end-plates such that the two end-plates are secured within the circular cross-section tubes of the first frame 11A and the second frame 12A respectively while only the two-bar device is positioned outside the circular cross-section tubes so as to fold the first frame 11A and the second frame 12A toward each other into an overlapping state (as shown in FIG. 6). The detail structure of the hinge 15 is omitted because it is a mechanical element of the prior art, not a technical characteristic of the present invention.

After the frame structure 1A of FIG. 5 connected with the bag 2, the opening of the bag 2 is open at the same time when the first frame 11A and the second frame 12A are expanded such that an user can put in or take out an article through the opening of the bag 2 (as shown in FIG. 7). After usage, the user only needs to fold the first frame 11A and the second frame 12A of the frame structure 1A toward each other in order to close the opening of the bag 2 at the same time (as shown in FIG. 8).

FIG. 9 depicts the third preferred embodiment of the present invention that the frame structure 1B includes a first frame 11B and a second frame 12B that are manufactured with solid tube by bending into Π shape. The two free ends of the first frame 11B are pivotally connected to the two correspondent free ends of the second frame 12B so as to fold the first frame 11B and the second frame 12B toward each other into a overlapping state (as shown in FIG. 10). As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 9, the transverse portions of both the first frame 11B and second frame 12B are further made in a curvature so as to constitute the frame structure 1B in a different appearance than the previous embodiments.

After the frame structure 1B of FIG. 9 connected with the bag 2, the opening of the bag 2 is open at the same time when the first frame 11B and the second frame 12B are expanded such that an user can put in or take out an article through the opening of the bag 2. After usage, the user only needs to fold the first frame 11B and the second frame 12B of the frame structure 1B toward each other in order to close the opening of the bag 2 at the same time (as shown in FIG. 10).

The embodiment of FIG. 11 is to further facilitate the operation via a value-added consideration for the present invention. A carrying belt 3 is provided at the diagonal locations at each of the first frame 11 and the second frame 12 of the aforesaid frame structure 1. Thereby the carrying belt 3 is across the opening of the bag 2 without interference to an article being either put in or taken out by the user when the storage bag is at the expanded state. After usage, the user only needs to lift up the carrying belt 3 so as to fold the first frame 11 and the second frame 12 toward each other and close the bag 2 the same time (as shown in FIG. 11). 

I claim:
 1. An expanding-folding apparatus for storage bag comprising: a frame structure including a first frame and a second frame both in Π shape, two free ends of the first frame being movably connected to two correspondent free ends of the second frame so as to fold both the first frame and second frame toward each other into a overlapping state; a bag having an opening positioned at upper end with a circumference of the opening connected to a bottom of the first and second frames.
 2. The expanding-folding apparatus for storage bag of claim 1, wherein the first and second frames are manufactured with hallow tube of rectangle cross-section by bending and the two free ends of the first frame are pivotally connected with each end of two linkages whose two other ends are pivotally connected with the two correspondent free ends of the second frame.
 3. The expanding-folding apparatus for storage bag of claim 1, wherein the first and second frames are manufactured with hallow tube of circular cross-section by bending and two hinges are respectively provided between the two free ends of the first frame and the two correspondent free ends of the second frame.
 4. The expanding-folding apparatus for storage bag of claim 1, wherein the first and second frames are manufactured with solid tube and the two free ends of the first frame are pivotally connected to the two correspondent free ends of the second frame.
 5. The expanding-folding apparatus for storage bag of claim 1, wherein a carrying belt is provided to the diagonal location at each of the first and second frames.
 6. The expanding-folding apparatus for storage bag of claim 2, wherein a carrying belt is provided to the diagonal location at each of the first and second frames.
 7. The expanding-folding apparatus for storage bag of claim 3, wherein a carrying belt is provided to the diagonal location at each of the first and second frames.
 8. The expanding-folding apparatus for storage bag of claim 4, wherein a carrying belt is provided to the diagonal location at each of the first and second frames. 